NASCAR "halted a dark and tiresome Camping World Trucks Series race late Friday with 24 laps remaining to avoid potential disaster after repeated power outages" at Phoenix Int'l Raceway, according to Jeff Lockridge of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Power at PIR "went out and the track went dark" at 9:45pm MT, with 24 laps remaining. There were "no incidents on the track after the lights shut down." Unwilling to "chance another outage and the risk of a serious wreck, NASCAR called the race after just minutes of deliberation in spite of the power coming back on." A separate "major power outage in the West Valley at 6:26 p.m. left fans and drivers in the dark and caused a one-hour, 17-minute delay to the start of the race." Track officials said that at least "two local substations, which produce one power line running into PIR, went out and had to be reset by Arizona Public Service." The track was "dimly lit with the help of generator power while the outage was addressed." Portions of PIR "regained partial lighting, including the grandstands, while lights remained out in turns three and four and on pit road, occasionally teasing fans by starting to come back on only to flicker off again" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/8). In Charlotte, Jim Utter noted the race was eventually called after PIR officials "couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen again" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/9).
RAISING ARIZONA? In Phoenix, Michael Knight noted PIR's 50th anniversary celebration "will end without the presents most hoped for: specific plans to modernize the facility built in 1964 and a return to the mid-April Saturday night race date the track had" from '05-10. Even though the grandstands were "again sold out" for yesterday's Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 500, PIR's parent company, Int'l Speedway Corp., "hasn't approved a budget for the much-needed improvements." The lack of any announcement comes despite NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France saying that he has a "'special interest' in his series' success" there. ISC is spending $400M for its Daytona Rising project, and "millions more have been committed to repaving the Watkins Glen, N.Y., road course next year." PIR's needs "include new and more comfortable grandstands with better sight lines, concessions, restrooms, scoreboard, competitor garages, parking, medical center and victory lane" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/9).
